Back in the fall my neighbor, Zarah Yerger, got an Instant Pot and she was so excited about it. Oddly enough, with all the cooking that I do, I had never heard of such a thing. Supposedly, it was one appliance that could do many different tasks replacing other cooking items in your kitchen. Basically, it is a slow cooker, pressure cooker, saute pan, and steamer all in one! I was very intrigued with this idea because I use my crock pot all the time and of course, my saute pan. I don’t use my steamer as much as I should so maybe this little appliance can push me back in that direction! So I bought myself one for Christmas!
Last weekend, I finally dove in and attempted two of my favorite dishes…Pinto Beans and Collard Greens! To make it even more indulgent, I added a Smoked Ham Hock in both! At the time, I didn’t think I would blog on this because I wasn’t sure how much my blog readers would be interested in this gadget so I didn’t take any pictures of the process only the end results. However, after experiencing the ease and deliciousness of these two recipes, I knew I had to share! So here you go and stay tuned, I plan on going back and adding an Instant Pot option to some of my previous blog posts but until then I hope you enjoy these two fantastic dishes!
Pinto Beans *Note: I did these first in the Instant Pot and then moved them into a pan onto the stove to thicken. You could do it in the Instant Pot, too on low saute with the lid open but I wanted to go ahead and do the greens.
**Note: I also use chicken broth to add more flavor instead of water…usually low sodium but that is a personal preference.
***Note: You do not have to soak your beans but the cooking time will be longer. I do soak mine because they digest better. I did the fast soaking method on the package but you can soak them the night before if you want.
Ingredients:
1 lb pinto beans
1 smoked ham hock
2 tb olive oil (divided)
1 small onion
3-4 cups of chicken broth (depends on how soupy you like your beans)
Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and pepper. I used a couple of teaspoons each but you can adjust your flavors later during the warming period if you think they need more. You shouldn’t need to add any salt because that will come from broth and ham bone.
Directions:
Collard Greens
*Note: I also use chicken broth for this as well; it seriously enhances the taste. If you use the prechopped collards, make sure you go through and remove those big stems. I prefer to use the fresh not the prebagged.
Ingredients:
1 pound of collard greens, stemmed and chopped
1 smoked ham hock
2 cups broth, divided
A couple of dashes of hot pepper vinegar
Spices: onion powder, garlic powder
Directions:
*Note: Sometimes I will saute onion and chopped bacon in a little olive oil at the beginning before adding in greens if I don’t want to use a ham hock
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